Evaluation of Selected Forage Pearl Millet Germplasm for Yield and Yield Component Traits

The present study aimed to evaluate the productivity of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.) genotypes to select the promising genotypes for fresh and dry forage yields and its traits of thirteen selected genotypes of pearl millet from forty eight genotypes. The experiments grown in a randomized complete blocks design with three replications at Sids Agricultural Research Stations, in 2021 and 2022 summer seasons.

Studied traits showed highly significant different of mean squares for genotypes. Analysis of variance for 13 Pearl millet genotypes revealed highly significant variation for total fresh and dry forage yield whereas the highest one was millet6 followed by population Shandawal 1 and population millet Sids 3 which had 85.5, 80.8 and 74.9 kg/plot, respectively. While, the lowest one were millet10 followed by millet12 and millet11 which had 44.9,45.0 and 46.5 kg/plot, respectively. Also, the highest mean values for total dry yield were millet 6 followed by population shandawal 1and population millet Sids 3 which had 12.2,11.1 and 9.6 kg/plot, respectively. Variance components of total fresh forage yield for combined showed that grand mean 58.6, (δ2p 385.9) and(δ2g 383.1) and genetic advance 40.3. Also, total dry yield had 7.37,11.25,11.16 and 6.88 for grand mean, δ2p, δ2g and genetic advance, respectively. The most discriminating environment for millet genotype which is due to the differences between δ2g and δ2p. Also, the effects of the difference between genotypes were high. Heritability values were high for total fresh and dry yield which had 99.64 and 99.59,respectively. Heritability estimates increased when the differences between (G.C.V. %) and P.C.V. % values were the least values. The results cleared that were variations between all studied genotypes had possibility used these genotypes to improve the studied traits during breeding program. The results indicated that millet 6, population Shandawal 1 and population Sids 3 had the best genotypes and could be used in breeding program for fresh and dry yield, plant height, fresh and dry leaf stem percent.